Knowing She's There
by Kessie-Ciel
Summary: Post-ep for The Hunger Artist. Gil seeks emotional support from his family. WIP. Finally updated!
1. Nana's Advice

Knowing She's There  
By Somewherethatsgreen  
Rating: PG  
Spoilers: It's a post-ep for "The Hunger Artist." So, needless to say, it will contain spoilers for that episode.  
Summary: Gil gets some bad news; how will he deal? A story about the women in his life.  
Author's Notes: This isn't going to be like "Sara's Secret Life." This one will actually get finished, I promise. A sequel to "Photographs and Memories" is in the works too. Oh yeah, and the title is from a Dr. Hook song which may or may not be used in a later chapter.  
Standard Disclaimer: CSI belongs to Anthony Zuiker, CBS, and a bunch of people who aren't me. Grissom's Grandma is mine though.  
  
  
CHAPTER 1: A Grandmother's Advice  
  
The doctor had confirmed what he had suspected all along.  
  
Gil had known that he was at increased risk for the disease that had afflicted his mother, eventually causing her to lose her hearing, so although he had been hoping for a different diagnosis, he was not surprised by the one he had received.  
  
Finding out was easy compared to what he had to do next. There were people who would have to be told.  
  
The first thing he did when he got home was go to the telephone. He pressed the buttons slowly, forming a number that he tried to dial at least once a month, although it was one of the few things that he sometimes failed to get done. The voice that answered was female, aged, and gentle.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Nana... It's Gil."  
  
Gilda Grissom, at 95, was the matriarch of the Grissom clan. Whenever anyone in the family got engaged, had a baby, or bought a new car, she was the first to know. She also handled the more solemn task of circulating bad news concerning members of the Grissom family.  
  
"So," Gilda teased, "you finally decide to call your old grandmother."  
  
"Sorry. I've just..."  
  
She cut him off. "Oh, I know you've been busy. So, tell me, how are you?"  
  
This was going to be more difficult than he had anticipated.  
  
"I need to tell you something."  
  
"Well, go on then. You can tell me anything, you know that."  
  
"I, uh... I've been having some problems lately, with my hearing, so I went to the doctor today, and, well..." he paused there, hoping that his grandmother would put the pieces together herself. She did, and she gasped softly as she realized what he meant.  
  
"You have it, then? That ear disease, that your mother has?"  
  
One word, that was all he needed to say. One difficult word. "Yes."  
  
"Oh," Gilda sighed. "So this means that eventually..."  
  
It came easier this time. "Yes, it does."  
  
"Well," said Gilda, unsuccessfully trying to mask the pain in her voice, "I don't doubt that you can get yourself through this. You're a Grissom. We've been through worse."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Although, sometimes, I..." she trailed off.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Oh, it's nothing," she said, but she sounded like she was on the verge of tears. Gil refused to be satisfied with her answer.  
  
"Nana, I know it's something. What is it?"  
  
"Oh..." She began to cry softly. "I just wish you weren't alone, Gil. I worry about you. Your brothers and sisters and cousins are all either married or live close to home. You live out there in the desert and you don't have anybody."  
  
"It's not exactly the desert, Nana. And I have you, don't I?"  
  
"But I'm not there with you! Listen to me Gil." She was regaining her composure, and she spoke firmly. "You are about to enter a very difficult time in your life. It is impossible to face it alone. Now, I know how proud you are. You were always like that; you never wanted anyone's pity. But like it or not, everyone needs companionship. It's a fact of life."  
  
There were few things Gil argued with his grandmother about, but this was a hot spot for him. "I know what you're saying. You're telling me the same thing you've been telling me for years, to 'settle down.' Well, I don't have to. I'm fine on my own."  
  
"At least think about what I said, Gil."  
  
"Nana, I appreciate the concern, but really, I'm fine."  
  
"I hope so." There was a silence that followed, long and heavy.  
  
"I should go," said Gil. "I have other things to take care of."  
  
"Alright. You take care of yourself, sweetheart. Call me and let me know how you're doing, alright?"  
  
"I will, I promise. I love you."  
  
"I love you too... Oh, call Mom and Dad for me, okay? They'll take it better from you. And tell them..." He thought for a minute, then made up his mind. "Tell them I'm coming to visit soon."  
  
"Oh!" Gil could not see the smile on his grandmother's face, but he could hear it in her voice. "I'll be sure to tell them. See you soon, dearie."  
  
After hanging up the phone, Gil thought about what his grandmother had told him. In all the years he had known her, he had learned that she was right about almost everything, but she had to be wrong about this. Romance was great for other people, but not for him. His work was his life, and it was all he needed.  
  
But then, he remembered... as the disease progressed, his one true love, his work, might eventually be lost to him forever.  
  
He would have to tell his co-workers, of course. This wasn't something he could keep hidden from them for long. But there was no need to say anything just yet. Right now, there was somewhere he wanted to go. He hadn't realized until just a few minutes ago just how much he missed his mother. There were many things to sort out at work, but they could wait.  
  
He wanted to go home. 


	2. Home

Author's note: It's alive! It's aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive! Many thanks to Xaviere Jade for forcing me at gunpoint to continue this story.  
  
CHAPTER 2: Home  
  
Nadine Robinson was waiting for her brother at the airport. It took him no time at all to find her, waving exuberantly over the crowd, calling his name.  
  
"You're HERE!" She cried, rushing over and wrapping him in a childish hug, which had been her customary greeting for him since she was a child.   
  
Though there were 19 years between them, and Gil had rarely been at home while Nadine was growing up, the two had always been close. Gil thought that perhaps the fact that he was so much older than his sister was the reason for their bond; she had, as a little girl, admired him greatly, and wanted to be just like him. Nadine, however, did not acquire Gil's solemn nature and poor people skills, and for that Gil was thankful.  
  
Nadine was, in fact, the complete opposite of her brother. Energetic and outgoing, she had studied dance and eventually became an instructor at a local high school. She also found love, something that had evaded Gil thus far, and was happily married with a young daughter.  
  
The two siblings were vastly different in appearance as well. On this day, Nadine wore a simple light brown tank top with a long, light and flowing skirt covered with a paisley pattern in earthy tones. Around her neck hung a flimsy scarf tie-dyed with similar colors, serving no real function other than aesthetic appeal. She shared virtually none of Gil's physical traits. Nadine was slender and petite, with a freckled face, green eyes, and waves of unruly red hair. She was 27, but did not look her age, and a passer-by might have guessed that she was Gil's daughter rather than his sister.  
  
"You look great," she said. Gil thought that was a lie, but if Nadine had noticed the exhaustion etched in his face, she didn't show it.  
  
"So do you," Gil responded sincerely.  
  
"Come on," said Nadine, "let's get the your stuff so we can go!" Without waiting for a response, she headed off in the direction of the baggage checkout.  
  
Gil collected the large duffel bag he had brought, and Nadine insisted on carrying it. She threw it in the trunk a little less gently that he would have liked, and he laid his small carry-on bag, which contained his toothbrush and several forensic magazines, beside it.  
  
"Hop in!" she said, and Gil complied.  
  
Gil had predicted that the first thing Nadine-- or anyone in his family, for that matter-- would want to talk about would be him. He had not been wrong.  
  
"So, tell me. Are you okay?" Gil tried not to show his annoyance. At the moment, this was far from his favorite subject.  
  
"I'm all right. And you?"  
  
"I'm great," she said. But Nadine, whether deliberately or not, did not allow the subject to be changed to her for long. "Everyone's worried about you, you know. Especially Mom. I think she feels like she's to blame."  
  
"No one's to blame. It's just genetics. No one makes it happen."  
  
"How can you be so calm?" she asked.  
  
Gil replied simply, "What else can I be, Nadine?"  
  
"Point taken." After an awkward silence, Gil decided to seize the opportunity to change the subject. "How's Lily?"  
  
Nadine brightened. Gil knew she could talk about her daughter for hours on end and never tire of it. "She's in Kindergarten now. She absolutely loves school. Oh, and she's so excited about your visit. I swear, she hasn't talked about anything else all week. And did I tell you she's learning to sign?"  
  
Gil smiled, remembering that he had been about Lily's age when he had begun learning Sign language. "You didn't mention it."  
  
"She learned three new words yesterday. Flower, Rain, and... you'll love this... Microscope."  
  
Gil's smile turned into a grin. "Who taught her that?"  
  
"Layla. She has quite a vocabulary."  
  
Gil nodded. He had carried on long conversations in sign language with Layla, the daughter of his other sister. He hoped Lily would eventually become as fluent in signing as her cousin. Even if she didn't, their grandmother was amazingly good at reading lips, a talent that Gil hoped he would never have to master.  
  
"Almost there," said Nadine, as they drove up the street on which they lived as children. Gil could see their parents' house coming into view. Putting all thoughts of Las Vegas, CSI, and even his ailment aside, at least for the moment, he felt a sense of comfort. Soon he would be home. 


End file.
